The old saying goes that the “third time is the charm”. For Tri-County, in their series against Newaygo, the eighth time was the charm. After seven straight defeats at the hands of the Lions, Tri-County finally got past this hurdle and won 26-7 on Friday night.
Nate Lovell was the star of the show for Tri-County, but credit should also be given to the Vikings that went to war in the trenches. They dominated up front and allowed Lovell and others to move down the field with ease all night long, while containing Newaygo offensively.
Lovell scored the first touchdown of the game when he plunged into the end zone from three yards out. Jacob Prestia booted an extra point to make it 7-0. Quarterback David Sheenan found Cam Friend on a ten-yard slant that turned into a seventy-one yard touchdown as Friend ran away from the pack of Lions on the defensive prowl. Sheenan then kept the football for a four yard sneak to make it 19-0 as the teams went to halftime.
Coming out of the break, Tri-County extended their lead once again. Lovell’s second touchdown of the night moved the score to 26-0. Newaygo would ultimately tack on a touchdown late in this game, but it would not impact the final outcome.
Lovell was the key cog in the offensive machine with a twenty-three carry night that saw the back log 119 yards and two touchdowns. Cam Friend turned his five catches into 131 yards and the one touchdown in an impressive night of his own.
Next week, Newaygo will look for their second win when they play Grant (though the Tigers have COVID concerns, so stay tuned on the status of this matchup). Tri-County will look to move to 2-1 when they visit Fremont on Friday night. Both of these games will be broadcast LIVE on Michigan Sports Radio.
